Assigned Seats for Holiday Dinners

Garden Party

I'm one of those people who likes being told where to sit at a party. I realize that this is far from a universal feeling, but if you're hosting dinner at the holidays this year, there are lots of reasons to consider place cards for your party, not the least of which is that they're a great way to add some creative details to your tabletop!

Increasingly these days, it seems like holiday dinners are not just family affairs, but gatherings of friends, co-workers, and family all mushed together; with relatives widely spread out, geographically and otherwise, and air travel becoming less and less appealing, hosts are opening up their homes to extended "families" of all kinds. And with guests who may or may not have known each other for years, assigned seating can relieve some of the social pressure of deciding where to sit, especially for single guests or guests new to the party.

Even at gatherings exclusive to family, I kind of like the idea of shaking things up as host by exerting a bit more control over the dynamic. If Uncle Fred always harasses cousin Betsy about her college search, why not seat him next to elderly Aunt Jane instead? To avoid ruffling any feathers too drastically, consider assigning seats for dinner and then encouraging guests to mingle over dessert by doing dessert as a cocktail-style buffet with plates on laps in the living room.

Place cards also create an opportunity to add pretty, simple touches to your holiday tables. Here are some of our favorite ideas (pictured above, from left to right):

• If your dining chairs allow it, a sweet little tag attached to the chair looks lovely and doesn't clutter the place setting. Enlist helpers among your younger guests to get these tied on early in the party.

• A single natural element, like a burr from a sweet gum tree or a small fruit (seckel pear or crabapple) makes a perfect botanical touch. Just tie on a little piece of ribbon and a name tag.

• The matte surface on the back of a magnolia leaf makes a beautiful "card" in itself. Use a thin gold pen as an elegant way to write the guests' names.

• An idea borrowed from a wedding: Use your computer to create little vellum slipcovers for simple, inexpensive votive candle holders. Print each guest's name on the vellum, light the candles, add a length of ribbon if you're feeling fancy, and create an instantly intimate mood.

• I love these pop-up paper place mats from Publique Living. The cut-out shapes make perfect built-in place cards. They're made of kraft paper, which might seem too casual for a holiday dinner, but when you dress them up with china, elegant napkins, and flowers, they totally lose any picnic-y vibe.

Place cards can be controversial, but at the holidays, when there are so many social stresses to overcome, I think they can actually be a great way to help everyone relax. What do you think? To assign your holiday dinner seats, or not to assign?